One Day Maybe
by Brazilian96
Summary: "I could only hope that one day maybe his episodes would be forever gone and that things would never get physical. But then again, the odds never were in my favor." Takes place after epilogue. Katniss and Peeta try to deal with his episodes. 6TH CH. UP!
1. Chapter 1

Katniss POV

I was walking home from the HOB and had just finished trading with Greasy Sae. It was late at night, later than I usually go out hunting. I can't stop thinking about Peeta and the life that we now live. His "episodes" still happen everyone once in a while but they've been getting better… we haven't. I walk on eggshells around him, scared that I might trigger something. But he still comforts me every night. My nightmares seem to be the only thing that brings us together.

I step inside and have buttercup hiss at me, our relationship never having changed. I pour some more milk into his bowl, seeing as how it was almost empty. I take off my dad's hunting jacket and hang it in the closet. My boots come off next as I leave them at the foot of the steps. I turn off all the lights downstairs and slowly make my way upstairs, trying not to wake him. When I open my bedroom door, he's there on my bed. Sheets wrapped around his shirtless form, a light snore coming out of his mouth. I remove the rest of my clothing and change into one of his shirts; a habit that I became accustomed to since he began sleeping here.

I pull down the sheets and slide into my side of the bed. I scoot closer to him and turn around so that my back is pressed up against his warm chest. His arms involuntarily wrap around my waist as his snuggles closer into my back. This was our routine and I would never change it.

_It's dark. I'm running in the arena as mutts chase after me. They corner me and I turn around with no place else to go. They're getting closer and closer. Blood drips off their teeth and they inch closer. The one in middle prepares to attack. He lunges forward, his teeth aimed for my throat…_

I sit up. My body drenched in a cold sweat. My heart beating erratically and my breath labored coming out in pants.

"Katniss…" I hear him mumble as he searches for me with his arm. Once he realizes I'm not there he opens his eyes and is met with my crazed ones.

"Another nightmare." It wasn't even a question.

I nod my head and he pulls me down to lay next to him. This time my head rests on his chest and his hand rubs circles on the small of my back. He doesn't ask, he already knows. He starts to hum to me as my eyes began to grow tired… The last thing I remember was his lips lightly brushing my forehead.

When I wake up he's gone. But the smells of cheese buns fill my nose as I notice my bedroom door is open and I can hear him in the kitchen. I walk into the bathroom and brush my teeth. I take a good look at myself in the mirror and brush my hair into a braid. I sigh. It's not going to get much better than this.

In the kitchen, Peeta is walking back and forth in between the oven and the cooling rack. And consistently making more batches.

On the table a plate of cheese buns and some juice are waiting for me. I eat in silence and just watch him as he works. I find myself entranced by the sight of his muscles flexing as he kneads the dough with such perfection.

I finish eating and place my plate in the sink. I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist in thanks and lightly kiss his neck.

Maybe my grip was too tight; maybe I shouldn't have snuck up behind him. But I feel his back tense and his arms stop working. His hands ball into fists, his jaw is clenched, and his breathing becomes later.

"Peeta?" I whisper hoping that he'll come back to me. "Peeta it's just me. I wanted to thank you for my breakfast… please come back to me."

"Get off of me." His says harshly. I unwrapped my arms from around him and slowly back away.

I knew that there would be no way to get back to where we were before. Not when the capitol changed him forever. I could only hope that one day maybe his episodes would be forever gone and that things would never get physical.

But then again, the odds never were in my favor.


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously on One Day Maybe…_

'_I_ could only hope that one day maybe his episodes would be forever gone and those things would never get physical. But then again, the odds never were in my favor.'

Katniss POV

I backed out of the house slowly, grabbing my dad's jacket on the way out. I knew that he needed space from me right now, and as much as it broke my heart, I just had to leave. I closed the door behind me as I ran to the one house I could actually find some peace in a moment like this.

Haymich's house reeked of alcohol. I went deeper and deeper into the house until I found Haymich passed out on the couch with an empty bottle of some sort of white liquor in his hand.

T o make time pass, I started picking up after his mess. I trashed all the empty bottles and saved the others in the fridge for later. I cleaned until all the stains and spills were completely gone; cleaning being the only thing that took my mind off of Peeta. This house needed to be aired out. I opened all the windows letting in the bright light from outside in. This seemed to bother Haymich, as he grunted and turned over on the couch. Successfully rolling off and hitting the floor with a slam.

I rolled my eyes as I helped pick him up and half carried him to his bathroom so that he could wash off this stench. I placed him in the shower under cold water, willing him to wake up fully. He shot awake and started yelling profanities at me, but I closed the door behind me as I left the bathroom and went downstairs to wait for him.

30 minutes later, he came downstairs dressed in fresh clothes with a look of annoyance.

"What do you want, sweetheart? Have nothing better to do than annoy me? He sneered.

The look in my eyes shut him up really quick. He looked at me with a sense of pity. He sighed and walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"What happened?" He asked. Looking into my eyes in search of an answer.

I just sighed "I don't even know. I went to go hug him and I guess I triggered something. I just, I couldn't be in there."

He nodded his head and stood up going back to his life. I took this as my queue to leave and headed out. I walked passed my house, looking toward it with longing to go back inside and comfort Peeta, but I knew he needed this time alone. I walked past the bakery which was still being re-built, as was the rest of the town.

As I got close to the fence I leaned down to listen for the buzz, I knew that it was highly unlikely that it would ever be turned on after the fall of the capitol, but it was a habit. I crawled under and walked to my favorite spot, right next to the lake. I just laid on a soft spot of grass and closed my eyes, just thinking about everything going on. Before I knew it the sky started to darken and I knew that I needed to get back home. I took my time, knowing that after Peeta's little "slip" it would be awkward coming back.

It had completely darkened as I got home. All the lights were turned off so I knew that Peeta was probably already asleep. It upset me that he no longer left on a light for me, or waited up for me, that he was able to go to bed without knowing if I was safe or not.

The kitchen was cleaned and there was no food left for me on the counter. I opened the fridge and pulled out an apple, sitting down at the table as I stalled going upstairs. But eventually, there was no more apple left, and I sighed as I threw away the core. I made my way upstairs and when I entered my room all I saw was Peeta's bare back faced away from me. I stripped slowly and went into the bathroom.

In the shower the warm water ran down my back and I tried to relieve myself off all the tensions. I released my hair of the braid and just stood there for a while. I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. In front of the mirror, I brushed through my hair and brushed my teeth. I walked into my room and put on my pajamas before slipping into bed. I turned around so that my back was facing Peeta's back. The tension in the air was so thick. Sleep overcame me and with that came the nightmares.

_I ran as I heard her scream. It couldn't be… It just couldn't. But there was Prim lying on the floor with jabber jays pecking at her flesh. I pumped my legs harder as I shot my arrow through the birds. But more and more came. Her screams became gurgled with blood and her body became mangled and unrecognizable. Before she died she looked at me, her eyes blood-shot and said "This is your entire fault."_

I woke up screaming, tears pouring down my face as I kicked and kicked, not knowing what to do with myself. I felt strong arms wrap around me and hold me still.

"Shhhhhhh. It's okay Katniss it was just a dream. You're okay. You're safe." He held me to him and rubbed circles down my back. I couldn't stop shaking. I began hyperventilating.

"It's not okay. I killed her. I killed her! It was all my fault. I could've done something… I should've!"

He just pulled me closer and started to hum to me. Calming down my nerves and helping me go back to sleep. No matter what happened, he would always be there for me in my time of need. Once again I feel asleep with the feel of his lips on my forehead.

I woke up with the sun streaming through the window and my head on his chest. His light snore, the only noise in the room. I began tracing patterns on his chest and followed those patterns with light kisses. His light moan indicated that he had woken up and I looked up to see his blue eyes piercing into mine. I kept eye contact as I traced the kisses lower and lower. His eyes opened in surprise and confusion. Silently asking me what I was doing.

We'd been married for about 3 years now and I was starting to get those urges for him. To be closer to him and to be more connected to him.

He grabbed my shoulders and stopped me. "Katniss don't."

"Why not?" I asked. A little disappointed.

"Because I said so. We're not ready right now." His eyes pleaded with me.

I sighed and rolled off of him. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I heard him sigh and call me back but right now I didn't want to hear it. I was so humiliated. The first time that I had ever attempted something like that and I get denied! I was beyond embarrassed. Then that slowly turned to anger. Why didn't he want me? Did he just find me unattractive? Did he still love me? Then I slowly turned sad. Why had we changed so much? Why did the capitol have to change everything for me?

I took a deep breath and pulled my hair into a side braid. When I went downstairs, a steaming plate of cheese buns was waiting for me at the table with a little note.

_Went to review the construction at the bakery. Don't wait up. –Peeta_

I felt my heart drop. I shouldn't have done anything this morning. I was so stupid! And now he's avoiding me. I sat down to eat my cheese bun and then grabbed my hunting gear.

In the woods, I checked all of the snares and was happy to see that I had caught 4 rabbits. I shot a couple squirrels, straight through the eye like always. On my way back, I gathered some berries in my pouch too give to Peeta, in case he wanted something fresh to bake with. On my way home I stopped by the HOB to trade with Greasy Sae. I gave her 3 rabbits and all of my squirrels. In return, she gave me a bowl of steaming chowder.

Once I was done eating, I started walking back home, keeping Peeta's berries and my game tightly in my bag. As I was walking home in the dark, I saw two shadows walking at a distance from me. They didn't see me, but I unfortunately saw who they were.

Peeta was walking with a small girl. I recognized her as Camilla, a girl who was one grade younger than us. She was a pale, gentle looking girl, with a pretty round face. She was smiling and looked like she was having such a great time. The thing that broke my heart the most though, was that Peeta was smiling. Something that I hadn't seen in a while. This girl was making Peeta smile. She was making him happy and I wasn't. So this is why he didn't want me to wait up for him.

I ran home crying. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it; something that I never do. I threw my game bag on the table and sat down to cry. I laid my head on my arms for I don't know how long.

Soon I heard steps getting closer to the house and someone trying to open the door. I shot up and turned off the lights. I went to the peep hole to see Peeta there looking so confused.

"Katniss?" He began banging on the door. "Katniss? What's wrong? Are you okay? Why is the door locked?" He kept banging on the door willing me to open it. "Katniss open up!"

I wasn't going to say anything, but I knew that if I didn't, then he would eventually knock the door down.

"Go away! I don't want to see you!"

"What? Katniss what's wrong? What did I do?" He pleaded with me. He was so confused. I could see it in his eyes.

"Just go away and leave me alone! I don't want to be near you!" I was sobbing. I just couldn't help it.

He looked defeated. His shoulders slumped as he made his way over to his house. He hadn't been there for 3 years. He'd been living with me since we got back from the victory tour.

I pressed my back up against the door and slowly slid down, my body slowly curling into a ball as I retreated into myself. I was heartbroken.


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously on One Day Maybe…_

"What? Katniss what's wrong? What did I do?" He pleaded with me. He was so confused. I could see it in his eyes. "Just go away and leave me alone! I don't want to be near you!" I was sobbing. I just couldn't help it.

Katniss POV

I dragged my pathetic self up to my room and lay down in my bed. The bed felt awfully empty and cold without his body pressed up next to mine. I was all alone, my biggest fear. I was left in the dark with no protection; no secure arms wrapped around my waist.

I looked out my window where I could see Peeta's house. The light in his bedroom was still turned on and I could see him pacing around inside. After about 5 minutes of watching him, the light turned off. I turned around to see Buttercup jump on the bed and curl himself into my stomach. For the first time, he was actually being nice to me. I guess he could sense how upset I was. I stroked him as I cried myself to sleep. His soft purrs reminding me so much of Peeta's hums.

Strangely enough, I didn't have any nightmares. I woke up my buttercup stretched out over my stomach. I pushed him off and sat up. He wasn't too pleased with that as he hissed at me and jumped off my bed, leaving the room. Well there goes that relationship.

I cringed as my feet touched the cold floor; the weather in District 12 was dropping significantly. When I looked in the mirror I was a mess. I had dried tears streaked down my face, my hair that I forgot to take out of the braid was now matted down to my head and the dark circles under my eyes contrasted my pale skin. I brushed my teeth and took a shower to wash myself of what I saw yesterday. I took out all of my frustration on the knot in my hair and put it into a neat braid.

Downstairs there were no cheese buns waiting for me, all that was left was the now rotting rabbit and squirrels. I threw them out but kept the berries to mash them into a jam. I added sugar and then spread it across the stale bread. The house seemed so empty without him; it was just different not having him here to fill the house with the amazing smells.

To get everything off my mind, I dressed in my hunting gear and boots. I pulled my dad's jacket over my shoulders and made my way to the door. When I opened the door, my breath caught in my throat. There on the porch was a fresh plate of cheese buns and a note.

_I'm sorry for whatever I did. –Peeta_

I left the plate there and stuffed the note into my pocket. I was stepping off the porch when I heard Haymich calling me over. I looked over and he had 5 geese following his every move. I rolled my eyes at this insanity.

"What do you want?"

"Well geez sweetheart. Good morning to you too." His sarcasm was going to get on my last nerve.

"Hello Haymich. How can I be of assistance this fine morning?" I sneered at him only causing him to laugh.

"I want to know what happened between you and lover boy last night." He asked but his bored expression contradicted him."

I was going to ask him why he even cared. But I knew that he did. We were like the kids that he never had. We had been with us through everything and we were the only kids who survived. Instead I went for "How did you know?"

"Well when I have a grown man come to my door and start banging with tears streaming down his face, it becomes my problem." My eyes opened in surprise. Peeta was crying?

Haymich saw the surprise in my face and looked me once over. "Yes he cried over you. Now will you please go over there and talk to him." He turned back around to his house not giving me a chance to argue; his geese following behind him.

Shaken, I went over to Peeta's house and knocked on the door. I tapped my foot anxiously as I waited for him to open the door; my heart beating faster and faster as the seconds ticked by. I heard the door opening and it revealed a tired looking Peeta. He had flour in his hair, face, and all over his arms. He had never looked better. His eyes opened up in surprise as he saw me and they soon softened.

"Uh…umm…uh…" He didn't seem to know what to say.

"Can we talk?" I decided to get straight to the point.

He nodded his head and opened the door further to let me in. His house smelled of the goods he was baking in the kitchen and but other than that there wasn't much here. And it makes sense since he was never really here. I went in and sat on the counter. He went to the oven to pull some muffins out and then shut it off. He turned to me then and looked into my eyes, looking for something there. We just stayed there for a while with the awkwardness getting so worse you could cut it with a knife. He walked closer to me and broke the tension the only way he knew how.

"Katniss… What happened?" He asked me with the smooth voice.

I looked him in the eyes and now it was me who couldn't find my voice. His eyes bore into mine as he searched for an answer.

"I…I saw you with her." His eyes became confused but slowly his eyes came to a realization and he understood what I was talking about. I couldn't read his expression and that's what scared me the most. He then looked away and smiled and I wanted to cry all over again. Just thinking about her made him smile. My heart broke into a million pieces all over again. I tried to get off the counter but his arms were holding me in. He looked back at me when he saw me trying to leave and when he saw the look on my face he knew how much this was hurting me.

"Katniss, are you jealous of Camilla?" He asked with a slight smirk on his face. I wanted to punch him. How dare he be happy at a time like this? I tried getting out of his lock again, but this time he wouldn't let me. He grabbed my face in his firm hands and forced me to look at him.

"Katniss! Camilla found me when I was on my way home. She wanted to tell me that she got engaged to Aerik."

My eyes widened and I looked down in shame. I had done all of that for nothing. Thrown a big fit and made myself more upset than I needed too. He put his finger under my chin to make me look at him. I couldn't so I just closed my eyes. My eyes started to water but thank goodness he couldn't see. I felt his breath get closer to my face and my lips parted in response. His soft lips caressed mine just for a second. But I wanted more. I pulled him by the back of his neck and crashed my lips to mine. Our lips molded perfectly together. He was being so soft and gentle and I didn't want that. I wanted him to be angry with me for putting him through all that. But no, Peeta was too sweet. I didn't deserve him. His tongue traced my bottom lip gently and my mouth opened. Our tongues massaged each other until we needed to come up for air. He rested his forehead against mine as we caught our breath.

"Don't ever do that to me again." He said. And there was so much authority but I could hear the broken man behind it. I just nodded my head at him; not wanting to ruin the moment with words.

3 Weeks Later

We had fallen back into our routine. We would wake up together, he would bake, I would hunt, and when I would return, we would eat dinner and fall asleep tangled within one another. We were happy, nothing had gone wrong so far, but then again I can never be happy for too long before something happening.

I was downstairs; I didn't need to hunt today because my game from yesterday was so big. The portion that I didn't trade to Greasy Sue was now laid across the table as I skinned them individually. I was about halfway done when I heard a huge crash. I turned around in my chair to see Peeta standing with his back to me and a tray of muffins sprawled across the floor.

"Peeta…" I said warily. I didn't expect this at all. His back was tense and his hands in the oven mitts were balled into fists. I could hear his heavy breathing. I stood from my chair and went over to him. I placed my hand on his shoulder. Bad idea. He whirled around and grabbed my wrist in a painful twist.

His eyes weren't his own. They were clouded over. This wasn't Peeta anymore; this was a capitol creation with only one goal… To kill me.

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**I just wanted to thank ****mayabella33**** so much for the review! This is my first fanfic so this is really exciting. I will be posting multiple times a week depending on when I have free time with my homework and all.**

**If you have any suggestions please tell me, I'm open to anything and would love to incorporate it into my story. **

**I'm open to criticism if it will improve my story (:**

**Thanks**


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously on One Day Maybe…_

His eyes weren't his own. They were clouded over. This wasn't Peeta anymore; this was a capitol creation with only one goal… To kill me.

Katniss POV

His eyes looked at me like I was a monster. A murderer. His grip tightened on my wrist as I tried to remove myself from his grasp. He twisted my arm at a painful angle causing me to cry out in pain. A ghost of a smile grazed his lips at my pain. I tried to ignore. _This is not Peeta. _I kept telling myself.

"Peeta… Peeta it's me. Katniss. Come on Peeta this is just an episode. Come on, come back to me. Let it go. Come back to me." I kept trying to coax him out of it. I kept calm but that was becoming more and more of a struggle as he squeezed my wrist harder.

"You mutt! You killed them! You killed everyone! You're the reason they're all dead. And now I'm going to kill you."

He reached for me face and I pulled back. This made him very angry. He grunted and struck his hand out; effectively slapping me across the face. I stilled due to shock. This gave him the opportunity to grab my jaw and squeeze. It hurt so badly. The sting on my left cheek forced me to let out stray tears. He brought my face closer to his. His breath fanned across my face, something that usually comforted me now sent chills down my spine.

"Hmm. Not so tough now are you Mocking jay?" He laughed. A cruel laugh that I knew wasn't his. "You're more of a joke."

I shuddered at his words. Once again I tried to pry myself out of his grasp. This cause him to push me back against a wall; slamming me. The pain shot through my spine and caused me to arch my back against him. He released my wrist and instead grabbed my throat. I couldn't breathe. I could barely talk. I hands scratched at his arms, trying to pull him off of me. But he was too strong; he was almost twice my size. I couldn't do anything. I didn't want to die like this, I knew he would regret it when he came back and I didn't want him living with the guilt. Once again I tried to coax him out of it.

"Peeta stop! Look at me! You know who I am. I'm the girl you love. I'm your wife. Please stop. You're hurting me!"

His eyes bore into mine and his head tilted back to let out a gruesome laugh. "You think I LOVE YOU? Oh you must be messed up in the head. I LOATHE you. I can't wait to kill you. I'm going to make it slow and painful. I want you to suffer." His closed tighter around my throat. I clawed and clawed but I started getting light headed. Right before I passed out I saw something jump at Peeta. It was Buttercup. He had clinged on to Peeta's face and was clawing at it. He screamed out in pain. I silently thanked Buttercup but hoped that he didn't hurt him too bad. I ran to the door. I made my way to Haymich's house screaming. But before I could get there, Peeta had caught up with me and caught me by the waist. I kicked and screamed but his grip was too strong. He threw me on the ground and straddled me, forcing my arms and legs still. He had blood running down his face from the claw marks. The blood dripped down his face to his neck and chest and some onto me. I thrashed but to no avail. He was mad now. He was furious. He brought his hand up to strike me but before he could something slammed him across the head and knocked him off of me. I looked up to see Haymich standing there with a half broken bottle of vodka; its sharp edges protruding from the clear bottle. I let out a sigh of relief. Haymich helped her up and she looked to the ground to see Peeta unconscious. Haymich put his arm around my shoulder and carried me back to my house. For once he wasn't drunk. He laid me on the couch and went on to cleaning the kitchen which was splattered with blood, broken vases, and burnt muffins. The last thing I remember was Haymich carrying me up to bed and wiping my face of any blood.

When I woke up, the sky was dark and the window was open; letting in a cool breeze. I was changed in a fresh pair of clothes and my face was completely clean. I was confused, but then I remembered what happened yesterday. I shuddered. I lay in bed just looking up at the ceiling. I had never been more scared in my life. I braced myself for what would happen. Instead of going downstairs right away, I went into the bathroom to take a shower. I knew my clothes were clean but I just had to wash off everything that happened. My body was a little sore and I figured out why when I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a huge bruise on my jaw and an even bigger one across my face. It was so bad that my left eye had swollen a little bit. The cuts and scrapes were healing. I pulled down the towel to inspect further damage. My lower back was bruised up pretty bad from when he slammed me against the wall and the floor but for the most part I looked okay. On my right wrist I had a huge purple handprint of where he held me so furiously. I sighed and wrapped the towel back around myself. I changed into another fresh outfit and made my way downstairs. The kitchen was clean and Greasy Sae was mixing a pot of some stew. She looked over at me and frowned when she saw my face. She tried to hide her reaction and for that I was grateful.

I sat down at the table and she placed a steaming bowl of stew in front of me.

"Eat." Was the only thing she said.

We didn't talk much after that. She cleaned up the kitchen as if she had never been there. On her way out I stopped her and asked what I had been holding in all morning.

"Where is he?" My eyes pleaded with hers. I had to know.

She sighed and said that he was at his house. I nodded; not wanting to know anymore. The truth was I was scared. I was scared to see him, to even be near him. And I know that might sound stupid since it wasn't really him but every time I close my eyes I see him with that fierce look in his eyes and I can't help but to worry. She looked me over "He's fine by the way. Just a few scratches. The only thing that's hurting him the most is him. He's beating himself over what happened. We haven't seen him since he woke up. Thank god Haymich was there to knock him out for you. Or else I don't know what would've happened." She looked at me with a sad look on her face. "Take care" were her parting words as she kissed my head and left.

I closed the door, not wanting to deal with anyone right now but I knew that I couldn't hide forever. So instead, I pulled on a jacket and made my way over to Haymich's. I could still see a slight path of blood from where Peeta must have followed me. I cringed at the thought. I didn't bother knocking I just walked right in and made my way for the living room where I could hear the TV. Haymich was lounging on his couch with some sort of bourbon in his hand. He raised the flask to his lips and tilted his head back swallowing the liquid with no remorse. When he heard me he turned around and nodded his head. I sat down next to him and just watched TV for a little while. During this, he refilled his flask twice. When the third one was empty, I grabbed it out of his hand to get his attention.

"I just wanted to say thank you for… you know." I looked down. I wasn't so good with words. I wasn't Peeta.

He nodded his head and snatched the flask back from me. "It's my job to keep you alive, sweetheart."

I did something that I usually never do, and I know it caught both of us by surprise. I hugged him and poured all my thanks, gratitude, and love into it. He was like my dad; whether he knew it or not. I ended up loving my drunken mentor who believed in me and kept me safe. He awkwardly patted my back, but I knew that he understood. I unwrapped my arms from him and made my way to the door, as I was leaving he called out "He feels really bad you know." I stopped dead in my tracks. I just didn't want to face him right now.

How could I love him if I feared him so much? This was the first time that things had gotten physically violent. But would it be the last?

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**Hey guys! I just wanted to tell you that I went back to my previous chapters and revised a lot of errors that I had in there so just check out for that. And thank you guys so much for being so supportive of this story.**

**If you have any suggestions as to what you want to have happen next or something that I should change. Please tell me, I would love to hear it.**

**Review (:**


	5. Chapter 5

_Previously on One Day Maybe…_

How could I love him if I feared him so much? This was the first time that things had gotten physically violent. But would it be the last?

Peeta POV

_It was dark and empty. That was my biggest fear. I couldn't see anything. But then… I heard her blood curling scream. I got up and ran. I couldn't see but I didn't care, I just needed to get to her. I felt my foot get caught on something and I went crashing down. I hit my face hard as sticky stuff ran down my hands and arms that caught me. I didn't care. I had to keep going. Somewhere Katniss was hurting and I needed to get to her. _

_Her screams got closer and the pathway got lighter. I saw her lying on the matted grass that was covered in her blood. She looked like she was being tortured. His spine was bent at an awful angle and her face was destroyed. I dropped to my knees next to her but didn't know what to do._

"_Katniss! Katniss what happened? Katniss can you hear me?"_

_The only sound was her gurgled scream and then nothing._

I jolted forward. My chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. Sweat was pouring down my face and I reached my arm out for Katniss. My hand found nothing. I looked over in a panic but then realized that I wasn't in our room. I was in mine. I feel back on the bed feeling defeated. I was sad but then I was angry. I was so angry with myself. How could I have let that happen? I should've stopped myself!

All I ever wanted was for the Capitol to not control me. I wanted to be my own person. But it seems like the odds are never in my favor and the Capitol is going to haunt me forever.

Katniss POV

I went home in a hurry to get back outside. I needed the woods. As I grabbed my game bag I threw Buttercup in there too, just like I did when I was bringing him back to Prim in 13. I couldn't think about that right now. It would only bring back painful memories. He rejected at first but I knew that he would like being in the woods with me today.

I took a different route than I usually do because I wanted to cut some time, but mostly I just wanted to avoid some people. I made my way under the fence and headed to that spot that I loved so much. I released Buttercup from his confinement and he seemed a little hesitant at first but once he saw a field mouse he was the happiest cat in the world.

I left my stuff by the lake and went to go find my arrow that I hid in the hollow of a tree. As I reached my hand inside the tree I found it to be empty. A cold feeling ran through me. Only I knew where the bow was hidden and everyone in District 12 knew that I came here on my free time. As I was contemplating where the bow could be, an arrow flew past my ear and into the trunk of the tree next to me. I whipped around in surprise, waiting to face my attacker, but the face that I saw instead surprised me more than any attacker would.

Gale stood there with my bow in hand and a smile on his lips. I was stuck in my place. Not knowing what to do or what to say. Instead a smile formed and I said something that only I would say, "So District 2 made you a thief, huh?"

He laughed lightly and made his way over to me, "If that's true catnip, then District 12 made you a house wife." The laughter shone in his eyes as only my best friend's could. He knew I never wanted to be a house wife. I wanted to be a provider. I wanted to be independent, and I was.

When he reached me he dropped my bow and pulled me into a hug. He held me as close as possible and I wanted to tease him about it but he needed this, and so did I. He smelt of leather and pine, whereas Peeta smelled of vanilla and warm cinnamon. I couldn't help but compare the two.

Once he released me Gale smiled "How have you been Catnip?"

I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to open my mouth and let all my pain and suffering pour out. Instead I just settled for a shy smile and responded "Same as always I guess." He could tell I was lying. He was my best friend after all.

"Katniss what happened to your face?" He was never one to be around the bush.

"Oh it's nothing, just got hurt hunting." He knew that that wasn't possible. I was an experienced hunter.

"But Katniss that doesn't -" I stopped him.

He could tell that I didn't want to talk about it anymore so he dropped the subject. We fell back into our regular routine: him checking up on the snares and me looking for game. Once all the snares were emptied and reloaded, he grabbed a spare arrow as we saw a flock of birds heading south for the winter. Like always, I started on one side and him on the other. We met in the middle and I was quicker than he was so I was able to shot the last bird. We grinned at each other as we made our way to find the birds. After all the game was collected and put into my bag.

On our way home I asked him "So why are you back?"

"Oh am I not welcome anymore?" He laughed

"You know that's not it. It's just… I thought you were living in district 2"

"I was. Well I still am, I just came back here to tie up some lose ends."

I just nodded. I understood. I invited him over for dinner at my house. He agreed and I was so happy. I couldn't be alone in that house for a second longer. As we made our way to Victor's Village I could tell that he looked around in awe. When we reached me house he asked "hey where's Peeta?"

"He's at his house. It's the one next door." Because he didn't know that we lived together, he didn't see that as unusual.

I placed a pot on the stove and started preparing for the stew that I was going to make out of today's catch. I gave Gale a knife and a sanitary place to start skinning the game. We just settled into a nice silence; me cutting up the vegetables and other spices, and him preparing the meat. Once the stew was cooked we sat and ate with light chit chat back and forth.

"This is actually pretty good Catnip, been practicing?" A teasing smile on his face

I stuck my tongue out at him and changed the subject, "So, meet any new people in 2?"

I saw him let out a smile and I was instantly curious. "Oh my gosh! You met a girl!" I usually wasn't this giddy but this was the only positive thing going on in my life right now.

His smile got bigger as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. A slight blush rose to his cheeks and he didn't look me in the eye.

"Gale! Tell me about her!" A huge smile on my face

"Well she's… She's beautiful Catnip! She's small with blonde hair and brown eyes. Thank goodness, because I couldn't see anymore grey seam eyes. She's a tiny little thing whose head reaches at about my shoulder and she's so fragile. She has the most adorable giggle. And well… We're getting married next month."

I stopped. I was shocked. Married already? I know that it had been three years since the war and everything settled down but that was crazy. Gale moved his hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"Catnip, you okay? I didn't mean to upset you."

I shook my head "You didn't upset me. You just took me by surprise that's all."

"Oh… Alright. Well I came back here to give you the invitation." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a white and gold invitation. Something that only District 2 could produce. It had elegant writing on it and was just absolutely breath taking. I smiled. I could tell he was happy.

The invitation read:

You have been cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of

Adalyn Isabelle Morose

Gale Jacobs Hawthorne

On Sunday Morning at 9am

In the Carver Gardens

Dress Formally

I was so happy for him. But reading this invitation made me think back on my marriage and I wanted to break down. We were supposed to have the perfect happy marriage. I realized that I hadn't seen Peeta in a while; the longest time apart in three years.

Gale noticed my change in behavior and rested his hand over mine across the table.

"Katniss tell me what's wrong." I just waved him off and smiled.

"She has such a beautiful name."

He hesitated "yeah she really does. It fits her perfectly."

I stood up from the table and placed the invitation on the counter. I started picking up our plates and putting them in our dish washer. He helped me along and after the kitchen was clean he headed for the door. Before I opened the door for him I thanked him for the invitation. He caressed my bruised cheek before kissing it lightly. Then he was out the door to go check on his sister Posy.

I didn't know what to do with myself. It was almost dark and I had nothing else to do.

A knock on my door startled me and I went to open it. The person on the other side surprised me. I guess today was my day for unexpected visitors.

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**Hey guys! I just wanted to thank **Katnissfire87654, amarilis24, **mel, and** WickedLittleLover. **The reviews are great! Thank you for being so supportive!**

**I wanted to try out Peeta's POV, so tell me if you liked that. I might have some more of that in the future. And this one had more monologue between characters so tell me if you liked that better too.**

**Tell me if you want something to happen in the story (:**

**Review (:**


	6. Chapter 6

_Previously on One Day Maybe…_

A knock on my door startled me and I went to open it. The person on the other side surprised me. I guess today was my day for unexpected visitors.

Katniss POV

I opened the door to reveal Samantha, Greasy Sae's granddaughter. In her hands was a very distressed Buttercup. He was drenched and matted down with mud and leaves. The look in his eyes was murderous. I guess I completely forgot him when Gale arrived.

Samantha looked somewhat nervous and anxious. She set Buttercup down on the floor and he ran inside. Her smile was shy and she rubbed up and down her arm in an awkward gesture. She looked down at the floor, seeming completely uncomfortable. This was such a contrast to her grandmother who was blunt, outspoken, and sometimes rude. I thanked her and she went on her way. When I walked into the living room, Buttercup was on the couch with a spiteful glare directed at me. I just rolled my eyes and filled up his bowl with fresh milk.

I cleaned the already clean kitchen and made my way upstairs to take a shower. On my way up I heard a commotion outside through my bedroom window. My room was much hotter than usual. A flickering orange light flickered outside, but as I got closer to the window the commotion made sense. Next door, Peeta's house was on fire. The flames licked up the side of his house in the area that looked like the kitchen. Our flimsy fight squad threw water over the base of the fighter. My eyes searched for Peeta from up above. When I couldn't find him I panicked.

I ran downstairs taking two steps at a time, nearly tackling a lamp on the way out the door.

My eyes scanned the crowd. Someone behind me grabbed my shoulders. I swerved around to see Haymich.

"Haymich, where's Peeta?"

"He's fine, really he is." He assured me when he saw doubt flicker across my face.

"Haymich where is Peeta?" I pressed.

"He's still inside the house. They're trying to find him."

My eyes went wide. Peeta was still inside a burning house. They couldn't find him.

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**Sorry for taking so long to update and giving you guys such a short chapter. I've just had so much on my plate and I need to figure everything out before I continue writing.**


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